One Dangerous Mistake
by Keijo6
Summary: On a day not unlike any other, an accident befalls upon Cera' precious sister, causing a major strife inside the Gang. In the aftermath of this bitter fight, the threehorn and the swimmer leave as temporary foes but as so many times before, both of them have to remember what's really important.


**One Dangerous Mistake**

"Hah! You have to hit much better if you ever wish to beat me, Chomper!" The threehorn cried as she hit the massive acorn kicked towards her by the young sharptooth who grinned as he saw Cera in return send the "ball" towards Ruby. Yet, despite her eager words, the threehorn wasn't nearly as happy inside. The burning temperature that had apparently made the Great Valley its home was more than enough to make any dinosaur fume rather literally inside and she could see the unusual amount of gasping and tortured looks within the eyes of her friends. Thus far, there was no shortage of water within the Valley but it remained a risk as long as this madness continued.

"Neither will that help you win this round, Cera, help you it won't!" Ruby cried as she hit the acorn with her own tail. Yet, Cera barely even heard it as she dwelled within her thoughts. In truth, the real reason for her melancholy was the mysterious illness that was haunting her father that simply didn't seem to go away. He was nowhere near to the point that the girl would have to fear for the worst but she couldn't help but worry about her beloved father. Still, she tried to keep those thoughts at bay as long as she stayed with her friends who, as usual, provided her with some much-needed relief from her worries.

"Don't get complacent just yet, Ruby! Try to hit this!" Littlefoot cried as he quickly returned the acorn towards the fastrunner who was taken aback at first. Yet, with a quick move, she jumped towards it and managed to hit the acorn forward with a hit with her hips. She then smiled towards the longneck smugly before Cera noticed that the ball was approaching her quickly. She managed to hit it with relative ease, sending it far to her left. She turned to look to that direction and exclaimed in a high voice.

"Try to save that, Sp… Spike?" She was quickly forced to cut the sentence short as she noticed the acorn fall into the ground not far from her, the spiketail nowhere to be seen. Ducky frowned somewhat as she noticed this change even if she didn't seem too upset by it. She spread her arms and even chuckled slightly as she moved towards the spot where Spike had just abandoned.

"If I had to guess, my brother thought it would be time for a little pause, yep, yep, yep! In fact, I have a good idea just where he went!" She said as she pointed towards a noticeable line of high grass that had been stomped down recently. Littlefoot moved to the side of the swimmer and joined in her display of amusement.

"I guess you're right, Ducky! And maybe he's right, we've already played ever since the Bright Circle rose to the sky. Maybe we could indeed take a little snack and rest for a while." He said as he took a deep breath as he realized again just how terrifying the heat actually was. Cera had nothing against the idea but she didn't hide her displeasure at the spiketail's whim.

"But he could tell us of his great ideas before he simply storms off and spoils our games! I don't like that in the least!" She said in clear annoyance, remembering the countless number of times when Spike had just left, leaving her and her friends with the often difficult task of locating him. Ducky turned at Cera and spoke with a voice that mirrored her displeasure with the threehorn.

"You know he doesn't mean ill with that, Cera! And my brother has helped us more often with those antics than I can remember, he has, he has." She said, earning a slight snort from Cera who moved towards the swimmer with rather weary steps. She wasn't in a mood to argue about that and she merely rolled her eyes as she answered the swimmer.

"Very well, Ducky. Just lead us forward to him so that we can one day get to doing something interesting." She said rather sarcastically but Ducky didn't seem to mind that tone at all. She merely nodded at the larger dinosaur before speaking to the rest of her friends.

"Well, let's go! He can't be far away!"

* * *

The most silent of steps could be heard in the thick forest as the tiny threehorn walked forward in the same carefree attitude any child of her age would possess. She smiled slightly at the thought of being able to flee the oppressing atmosphere in her family even if she couldn't quite understand why her father couldn't play with her and why her mother was that sad about something. All she knew was that Cera had decided not to resign to the same gloom as the rest of her family and she could also count on Cera's ability to cheer her up and entertain her, no matter what. Inside, Tricia knew her mother had told her not to wander away on her own but on a day like this, she simply didn't want to stay with them. She'd much rather spend it with Cera who never gave up to pure gloom.

The young threehorn walked forward without the least of worries in her mind as she suddenly saw something that made her young mind race with excitement. The form of a green spiketail appeared on a cliff near to her, the other dinosaur slowly starting to climb on a log that stuck out of the wall of stone like a horn on her sister's face. Tricia turned at the larger dinosaur in excitement, making the obvious conclusion. If Spike was here, neither could Cera be too much further away! She started to walk towards Spike, hoping to catch his attention with her excited cries.

* * *

However, in a moment like this, nothing caught Spike's attention like the sight of three large, deep green leaves at the top of the fallen tree. The boy licked his lips as he rose to the dead log, more than eager to reach for the seemingly last fresh green food in all of the Great Valley. The thoughts of continuing the game with his friends had died the moment he had smelled them from among all the drying trees of the Valley. In the midst of his determination, Tricia's cries were drowned under his own eagerness to reach for the leaves and slowly, Spike started to pull himself forward them, ignoring the sight of the baby threehorn below him.

* * *

Cera frowned slightly as she tried to prevent the tall grass from getting glued to her sweaty body, starting to lament Spike's disappearance more and more by the second. At least he could have chosen some other place to go to than this! Once she'd find Spike, she would make it more than clear to him just how much she despised these whims of his and how tired he was of suddenly noticing that he had ruined whatever she and the rest of her friends were doing. Seconds passed slowly as the small group of dinosaurs walked forward, each of them hoping they'd get out of the tall grass soon enough. To each of their relief, it wasn't long until Ducky, who was walking before the rest of her friends, cried in a happy voice. The grass ended only right before the cliff overlooking the forest which was only one of the many odd sights of the Great Valley.

"There he is! Spike, you made all of us worried-ed again, you did!" The swimmer cried as Spike quickly turned to look at his sister and grinned with a wide smile. He knew that his friends would follow him soon enough but that hadn't prevented him from getting a head start to get something he knew each of them also yearned for. Cera's frown only deepened as she saw the spiketail pulling himself further up the frail long simply because of those leaves even if she knew there were few things that were more Spike-like than that. She walked towards the boy as she growled in a voice that only emphasized her displeasure.

"Can't you keep your hunger at bay at least until we finish our games, Spike? Though, I guess this wasn't your worst timing but…" She started as she suddenly heard a voice that made her eyes widen immediately. She hadn't expected to hear her little sister's squeak out here, especially considering how very strict Tria had been about it after her daughter's near-drowning on the not-so-distant Day of the Flyers. She quickly ran to the edge of the cliff and called to her younger sibling in a friendly voice.

"What is it, Tricia? Why aren't you with mom or dad? I know Tria must be concerned already!" She cried, not sounding too shocked about her sister's adventures herself. She had gotten into too many dangers herself to preach anyone about staying safe. Tricia looked at her sister with an eager expression and she even rose to stand on two legs as she answered to Cera in her still unintelligible way. However, Cera could read her gestures well enough to know roughly what she meant. An amused smile rose to her face as she realized what Tricia meant but her tone left little disagreement as the older sister answered.

"Nuh-uh, I doubt you can stay with us all day. I understand you might not like it with mom and dad but still, they're the ones who will look after you. But don't worry: I'll play with you in the evening if you want to." She said, giving her little sister an encouraging smile even if Tricia didn't seem to appreciate it as much as her sister would have wanted. The younger threehorn frowned and let out a saddened squeak, earning a slightly mournful look from Cera. She was just about to speak as Petrie suddenly cut her short.

"But she can stay with us if she want to! Petrie doesn't mind!"

* * *

None of that discussion reached Spike's mind who struggled to reach ever closer to the leaves, knowing he'd have nothing to add to the discussion anyway. He merely took a brief sigh as he reached further, noticing neither the young threehorn that was slowly moving straight below him nor the squeaking of the log that seemed to grow stronger by the second…

* * *

"He's right, Cera! It doesn't matter if she'll join us for a while!" Littlefoot said, trying to break this unexpected impasse. Cera cast a slightly bothered look at the longneck as she knew just how little Tricia could do with her and her friends. Littlefoot saw her hesitation before he turned at Spike, hoping he'd get over his sudden hunger as soon as possible. However, it wasn't long before he heard a voice that made his blood run cold. His eyes widened as he noticed a slight crack appearing on the dead tree Spike lied upon and after that, he wasted no time crying to his friend.

"Spike, get out of there, now! There's no time to waste!

The other boy, however, was far too fixated on his prize. Only an inch or two and he'd finally reach the last green leaves of the Valley… He paid no heed to the longneck's call as he forced himself ever further. At first, Cera was slightly annoyed by Littlefoot's cry but when she suddenly realized what he meant, she gasped in fear. Her little sister was sitting in expectation right below Spike and that would mean…

"Tricia, look out! You're in a terrible danger! Spike, come back this instant!" She cried with all her might but what happened next seemed to stretch on for eternity in the eyes of everyone present. Spike slowly turned to look what was the matter with his friend but before he saw their faces, he suddenly felt the log snap into half right below him! The spiketail tried to hop away from it but it was already too late. He was cast into the gaping abyss all too quickly.

Tricia, on the other hand, was far too young to understand the full urgency of her sister's words and the pace with which she rose top her feet was far from quick enough. It was only when the shadow started to fall upon her that she realized what was happening. She let out a quick squeak as she shot forward with all her might… but even then, it was all too late. She managed to avoid the most nightmarish outcome but despite her best efforts, Spike's heavy bulk dropped right on top off her tail, back and hindlegs. The young girl let out a cry of pure horror and pain as she fell and hit her head into the ground, the impact and the pain making her black out.

That second seemed to freeze the time around Cera, the threehorn looking in horror as the form of her sister disappeared behind that of the spiketail, followed by the cry of pain afterwards. Her entire body seemed to freeze still, not able to move to any direction. She could only stare at the sight of Spike slowly regaining his footing… until she suddenly let out a horrifying cry into the sky.

"Tricia, are you alright! Please, answer me, little sister!" She cried as she jumped down the cliff, not caring in the least about any pains to herself. All she cared about was to see that Tricia was alright. The threehorn's eyes flinched in slight agony as she hit the ground but just as she was about to reach Spike and her sibling, another roar rang through the forest.

"Tricia, what's wrong? Where are…" Cera already covered in fear as she saw her step mother storm through the woods towards the cry of her daughter. She could already see that Tria had heard the full urgency of the baby threehorn's cry. As she stopped in front of Spike, she cast a terrified look at the sight before her. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw Tricia before her, the blood staining the ground and the unnatural positions of her legs making her feel sicker than she could remember ever feeling before. How… how could things like this happen to someone like her sweet daughter? She hardly saw Spike's completely beaten look as she approached the younger threehorn quickly, speaking in disbelief and shock.

"Wh… what have you done to her? D… don't be afraid anymore, Tricia. Mommy will take care of you from now on." She said as she raised the unconscious child with her horns into the air, fearing dreading the situation where her injuries wouldn't heal fully. Cera frowned in fear as she saw Tricia's wounds and with regretting look, she approached her stepmother and spoke to her silently.

"Tria… it was all an accident. I'm sorry…" Was all she could say before the older threehorn cut her short and spoke to her in anger.

"As you should be, Cera! You failed to stop this from happening! We will make things clear soon enough! With all of you!" She said as she prepared to storm towards her nest. She was slowed down only as Ducky approached her after Spike had moaned his apologies to his sister.

"Please, don't accuse Cera of this. It was all because of my brother. He wishes to apologize for everything, he does." The swimmer spoke, nearing tearing up as she spoke. Her spirits were further dampened as the threehorn merely snorted before leaving the seven children alone in the suddenly-dark forest. Each of them looked at the direction Tria had left to, the feeling of dread tangible in the air. They had all seen Tricia's injuries but also the thought that they had hurt the young threehorn, who had never done anything bad to anyone, was a crushing one. Each of them prayed for her quick recovery but none more so than Cera.

The sight of Tricia's seemingly hurt legs haunted the threehorn without an end, knowing just how dangerous they could be. Here in the Valley, she wouldn't starve but… what if there was more wrong within her? Would the bleeding stop anytime soon? Would her little sister recover and how would Tria and her father take this accident? Would they blame her friends for it, with more than sickening consequences? She suddenly felt her legs starting to tremble as her breaths quickened. She heard a seemingly distant voice that nonetheless hardly registered within her mind.

"I'm sure it'll be just fine, Cera! There's no reason to be this afraid!" Littlefoot said as he looked at the threehorn's trembling and glassed eyes. Cera, however, didn't answer him. Instead, her eyes were locked on Spike who seemed to be willing to simply sink into the ground for good and his sister who seemed to be torn between consoling her brother and Cera. The latter, however, couldn't help but feel the flurry of new, dark thoughts flooding into his mind.

This was the sole culprit for this tragedy! This dinosaur had ignored each and every order to stop his brainless, dangerous quest… for what? A few, pitiful leaves! Inside, Cera knew this wasn't the first time the spiketail had done something like this, the time when his deeds nearly fed her and her friends to the swimming sharptooth! And the time when this idiot had literally eaten the vine all of the seven friends had stood on, plunging all of them into the abyss! She remembered how easily she had forgiven him back then but in those cases, she and the rest of her friends had been the only victims of his folly. This time, however, he had really hurt and injured her precious little sister which was something much more difficult for her to accept. She stuttered deeply as she finally managed to speak to her friend who seemed to crumble under her words.

"Let me make a few things very clear to you, Spike. When I, Littlefoot, or any other tells you to stop your stupid search for food, YOU DAMN BETTER START LISTENING YOU IDIOTIC PIECE OF DUNG!" She cried on the top of her lungs, causing Spike to dump his head into the ground and to shudder in fear. Everyone who saw that scene took a step back, each of them noticing that even Cera had seldom been this mad. And even if most of them were far from supportive of her more than harsh words, they knew her fury was more than justified. Ruby frowned deeply as she moved a bit closer to the threehorn and started to speak silently.

"Cera… what is done is done. It doesn't help to take it further." She said merely, earning a sympathetic nod from Ducky. The swimmer then moved between the threehorn and the spiketail and continued to speak to her friend.

"Ruby's right. My brother already told how very, very sorry he is. I will speak to him more at home. I promise it, Cera." She said even surprisingly seriously, knowing how very badly her brother had hurt the threehorn. The latter frowned deeply as she snorted at the swimmer, showing little signs of calming down.

"Oh, he's sorry, is he? Is he the one whose entire backside was probably crushed because of his mere hunger? Is he the one who will hear from this for many cycles of the Night Circle? Is he the one who nearly lost a sibling altogether?" Cera cried in a bitter voice, causing even more concerned, even fearful looks in the dinosaurs surrounding the trio. Ducky's face turned into a more fearful one but she still wasn't about to give up before the threehorn's fury.

"As I said, we're both sorry, Cera. I'm sure even Spike would undo what happened if he simply could." She said, hoping to calm the situation down somewhat. However, her empty words meant nothing to Cera who already dreaded what would wait her at home. No, she simply couldn't let this issue be. Not yet. Suddenly, she leaped forward, and pushed Ducky to her right side with a violent force, causing her to fly to her back into the ground, looking as Cera prepared to hit Spike with her horns. The former looked in fear as he had never seen the girl this furious about anything. Before any of the six dinosaurs could act, another shout of pain could be heard as Spike hit the tree behind him with a force that would have made anyone sick. Cera prepared for another charge as she murmured in a low, hateful voice.

"That was only about the times you nearly killed me with your stupidity. Now, here comes a little payback for Tricia…" She said before a new voice called to her.

"You don't have to do this, Cera! Please, just let it be!" Chomper cried as he moved just in front of the threehorn, not willing to see any kind of violence between his dear friends. The female narrowed her eyes as she spoke to the sharptooth.

"Get lost, Chomper. You have nothing to…" She spoke before Ducky cut her short, her voice much more threatening and condemning than before.

"I don't care what he's done but you don't have a right to hit my brother like that, Cera! Stop that, immediately!" She said, looking at Cera with eyes that would have bothered her without an end in normal circumstances. However, the threehorn wasn't about to give up this easily.

"I won't! All of this will happen over and over again if I won't give him a proper lesson now! And he will get far more of them if Tricia doesn't recover!" She cried as she again prepared to attack. However, this time it was Littlefoot who denied her plans.

"Stop right there! What he did was wrong but we simply don't make things better by beating up each other! Haven't you learned that even after all these seasons?" He asked with a belligerent look, causing Cera's expression to fall even further. Her voice wavered as she spoke.

"You speak to me about learning? After he nearly killed us all more times than I can remember?" Cera cried right at Littlefoot whose expression turned darker by the moment. However, it was Ducky who answered to the threehorn with a voice whose outrage nearly rivalled that of the threehorn. She simply couldn't believe Cera was taking it far enough to actually attack Spike like this. She could understand her anger but in no world would she simply stand by while looking at her beloved brother getting attacked like this.

"Yes, we do! It was always an accident with my brother but you are hurting him while meaning it and that's something I'm not going to accept. Apologize to him, now!" She cried as she looked at Cera's face that showed no signs of giving up. However, before the threehorn managed to give it any real thought, she heard a brief stream of words pouring from her mouth, ones that stunned the girl herself completely.

"In this moment, the only thing I'll apologize for is that I wasn't stronger the day we found him for the first time!" She spoke, the implications of those words registering within her mind only once she had already spoken them. It was on this moment that the feeling of guilt hit her for the first time. She had just claimed she would have wanted Spike to die alone in his infancy, never joining her and her friends in their journey to the Valley. Even now, that wasn't what she would have wanted and it was only with great efforts that she managed to avoid dropping her composure as the wide eyes of her friends stared at her.

Ducky felt her breaths growing ever quicker as she looked at the threehorn, not in her worst dreams expecting her supposed friend say something like this. She had already wanted to hope that… that Cera had already disappeared but here she was again before her, spitting her poison everywhere. This was the streak: she suddenly walked towards Cera and cried to her at the top of her lungs.

"Now you did it, Cera, you did! Nobody speaks to my brother like that! GO AWAY! GET LOST, NOW!" She cried, not caring about what her friends said. Cera, on the other hand, tried to keep calm but that was far from easy as her gaze drifted from one of her friends to the next, each of them mirroring Ducky's disbelieving fury. Inside, Cera already understood her mistake but as so many times before, her pride forced her to retain her position. Yet, she knew this was a situation where there was no victory. She suddenly snorted deeply before turning around and speaking mockingly.

"Very well, I will! It's of much more use to see if there's anything I can do to help my sister, anyway!" She said, not looking before her even after Littlefoot cried one more time behind her.

"And don't come back before you realize your mistake, Cera! None of us deserved that!" Cera's face fell at those words but it was of no concern anymore as her friends wouldn't see it anyway. With firm steps, the young threehorn left the clearing, leaving six extremely hurt and angry dinosaurs behind her.

* * *

"Oh, Tricia, try to wake up! You must wake to mommy!" Tria said as she laid her daughter to the ground beside her nest, a look of fear on her face. The threehorn still couldn't believe any of this could happen. To think anything bad could befall on her sweet daughter… tears swelled in her eyes as she looked at Tricia as she looked at her injured legs and tail. Slowly, she lowered her head and nuzzled her child, hoping this nightmare would pass soon. She closed her eyes as she thought about her times together with her daughter… just as she heard a weak voice speak to her.

"M… mommy? Tr… ahh!" She cried as the pain again returned to the young threeehorn's mind. Tria's eyes widened in mixture of relief and concern, not expecting her daughter to wake up this quickly. She then spoke to her soothingly, trying to calm her injured child down before worse happened. She quickly managed to halt Tricia's pained struggles just enough so she could cover her wounds with a small pile of leaves. Even then, there was no way around it: Tricia's hindlegs seemed to be seriously sprained but thankfully, they didn't seem to be really broken. Still, she was more than mournful this had to happen… all because of a stupid accident. Her moment of mourning was interrupted as she heard an alarmed voice behind her.

"Tria, what's the matter? Is… is Tricia seriously hurt? I mean, I know she is but… but…" Tria sighed as he heard Cera's voice behind her, more than slightly relieved to hear her stepdaughter join her in this dark moment. Her mate was resting in a nearby woods and she didn't want to wake him up to more fears and concerns. She slowly turned at Cera, her voice more stable than even she had expected.

"She'll recover, thank goodness. Though it is not because of you or your friends. I'm completely appalled that you let this happen, Cera." She said, her face falling as her mind returned to what had caused all of this. She wasn't sure who to blame but from what she had seen, the immediate culprit was clear and there had to be at least some way Cera could have prevented this from happening. The younger threehorn stopped right before her sister, finally able to calm down slightly as she saw her pained but conscious face. She again frowned deeply as she saw her hindlegs but her mother was right: they weren't ruined for good. She then glanced at her mother, trying to sort out her thoughts as she spoke.

"I'm so sorry. I… I should have known far better from the beginning. I could have kept a closer eye on Spike but… but I only made things far, far worse. But I'm so happy to see Tricia getting better. That is the most important thing. Hey, Tricia! Please forgive me for what happened." She said as she drew her head closer to the hatchling, her heart melting as the child managed to even give her a brief, if forced smile. It was clear she wasn't blaming Cera for anything but that hardly helped the light-yellow threehorn's mental discord in any way. Tria was also heartened by this small gesture and she wasted no time speaking to Cera in a slightly friendlier voice.

"It truly is. Cera… I don't know what I would have done if the worst had happened but now, promise me to make sure nothing like this happens ever again! I'm not asking you to leave your friends but I don't want you to ever again cause any harm to us or anyone else in the Valley! If you do this for me, I'll promise to call this an accident to your father." She said, the implications of her words clear. Cera dreaded just what her father would do if he learned of Spike's part in all of this, especially considering his earlier thoughts about her friends. She took a slight smile as she looked at Tria before speaking to her softly.

"I promise, Tria. That's all I want as well. Thanks for not telling daddy about this." She said simply, her feelings still not completely sorted out. Her heart ached as she looked at Tricia's pain and indeed, she knew she had had a point in her argument but… she knew she had blown her case with her attack. She turned to look at the direction of the forest she had left her friends in, already cursing her behavior earlier. She had just been so very concerned and fearful earlier but now… now she realized just how wrong she had done. She hardly heard as she heard her stepmother's answer.

"Of course. I know you don't mean ill even if sometimes I cannot approve of everything you kids do. I've heard your father doesn't always see things the same way." She said as she encouraged Tricia to fall to sleep. Cera looked at her mother in approval before answering to her again. She prayed that this would indeed stay as a secret but even then, there was something she had to urgently do. She then cleared her throat before speaking to the older threehorn again.

"Thanks, mommy. But… I still have some things to do. Do you think you and Tricia will be fine alone for a bit longer?" She asked, heartened by Tricia falling asleep instead of crying in pain. Tria didn't even want to know what had happened between Cera and her friends but she could see her business was quite urgent. She took a slight sigh before answering, her shock starting to wear off slightly.

"Go ahead, Cera, but remember what I said. Your father won't accept another disaster like this… and I doubt I will either." She said while looking Cera in the eyes. The latter gulped deeply before answering to Tria in a voice that sounded like a compromise between fear and relief.

"I will. See ya later!" She said before turning around, hearing the heart beat within her chest. She had already decided to apologize to the swimmer. However, as she now faced this task, she realized just how antithetical it was for her family and to her personality. She knew she had wronged the spiketail and his sister too severely but never before had she actually admitted her mistake directly. Back when she had heard those words, Cera had thought this was a matter of life and death even if those thoughts had been corrected later on.

She gulped as she sat down, thinking of her options. She could also try to wait until the worst hurt of her attacks would wear off but it would take at least days and for the first time in her life, the guilt seemed to overwhelm her completely. Every time she had argued or fought before, one of her friends had been the aggressor or she had had some other motive, like the hunger and despair not long before her and her friends' arrival into the Valley. But now… now she was but a moron who had attacked Spike physically while also wishing for his literal death.

Cera spat into the ground in disgust, wanting to simply wish the last hour to some sick oblivion where it belonged to. Even if she would have wanted to simply forget it all, she couldn't. She'd have to speak to Ducky and Spike about this and try to make things better without completely sacrificing her pride as she was still bound to guard it to the very end. She slowly rose to her legs and exhaled aggressively. She would apologize for what she had done and Ducky better accept it once she'd find it in herself to admit she'd been wrong! With firm and annoyed steps, Cera started to walk towards the swimmers' nest, knowing the two would no longer be willing to play for any longer after that debacle.

* * *

"Cheer up, Spike. None of us really mean something like that, nope, nope, nope. I don't know what's wrong with her but I'll make sure she'll never do something like that again." The swimmer said softly to Spike who looked towards the sky, taking a deep breath while seemingly ignoring his sister's words. He was far too deeply burdened by his thoughts, knowing full well it had all been his fault. If Cera's sister wouldn't survive then… then everything she said would be true. The spiketail gave out a pained groan whose meaning Ducky could decipher without much effort. She then moved beside the larger dinosaur and laid her hand on his cheek.

"Don't say that. I know all of the others like you very much but if that bothers you that much, it is easy for you to make it better, Spiky! I know you like to eat but there are times where you could just try to force yourself to let it be. And really, I must agree that all of us would do much better if you could find a place to be yourself and where to try to act a bit more like… like, well it does not matter." She said, realizing she couldn't find a word that Spike couldn't misinterpret in this mental state. He frowned deeply at those words, knowing Ducky was right but it still hurt him that he had suddenly caused this much sorrow and pain to those around him by being… well, simply him. Ducky could see this as well and the girl could do little more than to be there to comfort her brother in his hour of need. However, it was in this moment that she suddenly saw something that caused her face fall immediately.

Cera's form could be seen downhill from the forested glade the two had been hiding in. None of them had wanted to even see their siblings in this sickening time. Ducky frowned deeply as she looked at the threehorn, noticing she was heading right towards the swimmers' nest. At first, she merely wanted to waive that fact away as a coincidence, not willing to have anything to do with her right now. She could do quite well on her own if she only wanted death and misery to those who cared for her" That would suit her just well!

However, it was the next realization that made the swimmer's eyes widen slightly. There wasn't a trace of anger or bitterness on her face. She looked almost like… regretful? As she looked further at the other girl, she could see how forced and insecure her walking was and how every part of her being seemed to be full of sadness and willingness to make things better. At first, Ducky wanted to simply tear her eyes away from her old friend and to simply keep up her grudge with the larger dinosaur. But the more she tried… she couldn't.

The swimmer suddenly found herself locking eyes with Spike whose gaze resonated nothing but pleading and anxiety at the swimmer, clearly wanting nothing more than for this horrifying situation to end. Inside, Ducky shared that sentiment completely. Of all the dinosaurs, there was none who wanted to live in peace and agreement than Ducky, even after the sickening things Cera had said. If she had anything of worth to say, she would hear them. She took a deep sigh before she moved to the edge of the steep slope and cried to Cera in a voice that still resembled her earlier, hateful one closely.

"I can't remember seeing you take walks like these in ages, Cera. I guess Tricia is rather well if you are here, I do." She said, her voice far dryer than she could ever remember before. Cera seemed to freeze still, not expecting to meet the swimmer and the spiketail here. For a few fleeting moment, Ducky could see Cera's true feelings on her face before she took her more familiar mask of pride.

"She is far from well as you most likely guess, Ducky. Her legs are in a terrible condition but they seem to heal in time. Though your brother didn't help." She said, not willing to sugarcoat her still lingering bitterness towards the spiketail. Even if she wanted to apologize, she wouldn't plead before Ducky, especially as she knew she was right in many things. Ducky looked at Spike briefly, disappointed by Cera's answer. She then crossed her arms before answering. Inside, she was more than happy to hear Tricia had survived without any irremediable injuries but she would hide that from Cera for now.

"I already said everything I have to say, Cera. I know Spiky did wrong but you did much, much worser." She said simply, knowing that her cause was a righteous one. Cera's face fell as she looked at the swimmer, forcing her gaze away from the two siblings for a brief moment. Yes, she knew that as well but did she have the courage to admit it? Inside, she knew Spike had hurt Tricia far more than she had Spike but inside, she couldn't deny that the two couldn't compared as the spiketail's mistake had been an accident. The threehorn swallowed deeply as she looked back at Ducky and said in a wavering voice.

"I… I know. Perhaps… perhaps I shouldn't have taken it that far." She said as she turned back at the swimmer. Ducky's eyes widened immediately as she knew more than well how rare it was to hear any kind of apology from Cera's mouth. Even Spike looked surprised by her admission but Ducky wasn't quite ready to let her friend off the hook just yet.

"You shouldn't have, Cera, nope, nope, nope. But still you did." She said, taking care that her voice wouldn't be interpreted as too accusing or offensive. She just wanted to see that Cera would for once take the responsibility for what she had done. The threehorn snorted in slight annoyance as she had hoped that the swimmer wouldn't take this issue that far. Inside, she prayed her nerves wouldn't be stretched too far in this interrogation.

"I did and for a good reason! Ducky, I know I shouldn't have attacked him directly but just think how you would feel if someone nearly crushed Spike before your eyes because of… well, it doesn't matter. But please, don't attempt to say that I have no business to be angry! And I don't think you the right to do that either!" She countered, also hoping Ducky wouldn't be offended by her words. However, the swimmer simply couldn't claim any kind of moral high ground after she had practically chased Spike from the Valley during their first Cold Time.

At first, Ducky felt like her efforts to restrain her anger would fail but just as quickly, her pride and sense of righteousness died as the memories of that day returned to her mind. Inside, she couldn't help but agree that in many ways, she had hurt Spike, and herself, in more ways than Cera had, for far worse reasons. She looked at Spike with a saddened look before whispering her thoughts to him again, the reopened wounds not letting her to simply cast this issue aside.

"I am so, so sorry for that Spike. It's good that you have forgiven me, though. Thanks for it." She said before earning an affirmative nod from the larger dinosaur. The swimmer answered him with a warm, loving smile as she knew that Spike had still enjoyed many aspects of that journey. But even if he had forgiven her sister for that mistake, it would still take far more time before the swimmer could do the same. But more importantly for now, she could see within the spiketail's eyes that he was more than ready to forgive Cera as well. It took a few seconds before Ducky gathered enough courage to answer the threehorn.

"I certainly do not, Cera. Thank you for reminding me about it." She said simply, not finding the courage to speak for her brother after this wave of guilt had sank all of her earlier bravado behind it. Cera frowned somewhat at this more than odd answer but she could without any difficulty see the change within Ducky's voice. She hesitated for a moment before she called back to the swimmer, hoping she hadn't misinterpreted the meaning of her words.

"So… will you tell him to stop disappearing on his own and to make sure nothing like this ever happens again? That is all I ask from either of you." She said, knowing the die was cast. She prayed from the bottom of her heart that the swimmer would agree as she didn't know what would happen if she decided to decline. However, before Ducky could even think of an answer, she felt herself being felled to the ground by her brother's push and an agreeing groan. The swimmer giggled at that sensation before crying to the spiketail in a laughing voice. He was more than ready to take this step as neither did he ever want to hurt someone like this again. He only prayed he could keep that promise even if his mind was fixed around that promise.

"Spike, let me go! I cannot answer Cera if you don't let me! Please!" She cried as time and time again, she felt her brother's nuzzle over her. However, it didn't completely wash away her still-lingering guilt about this whole situation. it didn't take long before the spiketail finally released the swimmer who then rose to her feet and called to Cera before starting to approach her quickly.

"I think he can do that, Cera, I do. I'm so sorry about what happened to your sister and I know Spike is too. Aren't you, Spike?" She asked, willing to show to Cera that her brother was more than serious. It didn't take long until he nodded and groaned at Cera happily, causing the threehorn's gloom and anger finally drift into the past. She quickly started to walk towards the duo as well, eager to put the final seal to this short time of discord between them. It didn't take long before she felt the swimmer hug her leg and in return, she nuzzled her head with her horn, Spike replicating the gesture to the threehorn. That moment seemed to drag on forever before Ducky finally broke the silence.

"I feel so much better already! We shouldn't fight with each other, no, nope, nope!" She exclaimed to Cera who smiled at the two siblings widely, feeling as if a massive boulder had been lifted from her shoulders. She then looked at Ducky and spoke to her in a relieved voice.

"On that you're completely right, Ducky. Come on, let's see if the others are still out there to tell that we're good again!" She said, hearing the sounds of agreement from her two companions. She inhaled deeply, thanking her luck that today had turned out fine in the end. Ys, she would have to follow Tricia's recovery for many weeks but she'd do that with pleasure, knowing she'd be fine again. And hopefully, she and Spike had both learned something today, something that would help them both in the long run. But for now, nothing could break the threehorn's piece of mind under the warmth of the late afternoon's sky.

* * *

 **And here's my entry for the Gang of Five's January prompt. It is kind of an oddity for me as it it's my first Gang-centered story taking place in the Valley in nearly two years. Yet, I'm not sure if it quite on the level of some other of my fics but I simply wanted to do something a bit closer to the more traditional setting of LBT. Let me know if it is any good and if you want me to do more short stories centered around the main characters. But now, I'll get to working for the next chapter of Separate Ways. It's already been far too long since the last chapter.**


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